Clean lorries pay less to use UK roads

The cleanest lorries will pay less to use UK roads

Haulage firms will benefit from a cheaper fee if they use less polluting lorries as part of plans to improve air quality across the UK. From February 2019, lorries meeting the latest Euro VI emissions standards will be eligible for a 10% reduction in the cost of the Heavy Goods Vehicle levy. The current rate is £1,000. When the change takes effect Euro VI lorries will pay £900 and Euro 0-V vehicles will pay £1,200. The Government estimates that more than half of UK vehicles will pay less and that as increasing numbers of companies move to cleaner lorries the UK haulage industry overall will pay less.

“Heavy goods vehicles account for around a fifth of harmful nitrogen oxide emissions from road transport, but they only travel 5% of the total miles,” Roads Minister Jesse Norman said. “That’s why we’re changing the HGV levy to encourage firms to phase out the most polluting lorries and bring in the cleanest ones.” Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey added: “The HGV levy is just one element of the Government’s £3.5 billion programme to clean up the air and reduce emissions, which includes £255 million for councils to improve air quality and a dedicated Clean Air Fund of £220 million for those local areas with the biggest air quality challenges. Poor air quality affects public health, the economy, and the environment, and all motorists, including hauliers, must play their part if we are to clean up our air for the next generation.”

Introduced in 2014, the HGV Road User Levy was brought in as a first step to ensure lorries pay a charge to cover the greater wear and tear they cause to road surfaces than other vehicles. This change to the levy is intended to incentivise the industry to choose less polluting lorries.